Kansas City, Mo. – In Hilary Masters’ new satirical novel “Post: A Fable,” New York’s late governor Kimball Lyon tries to thwart terrorism by turning Manhattan into a parking lot. There are plenty of objections to his ruinous urban redevelopment. To be published by the University of Missouri-Kansas City‘s (UMKC) BkMk Press Aug. 1, “Post: A Fable” is Masters’ 10th novel and 17th book.
“Post: A Fable” is an enigma with a connection to, among other things, the long-extinct passenger pigeon. Although billions of passenger pigeons existed when Europeans discovered America, passenger pigeons became extinct by 1914. Part mystery, part environmental elegy, “Post: A Fable” combines eccentric metafiction and magical realism in a riotous futuristic fable.
Masters has served as professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University since 1983. He also has served as a U.S. Navy correspondent, founder of The Hyde Park Record in New York and a Broadway press agent. In addition to receiving the Balch Prize for Fiction and Monroe K. Spears Essay Prize, Masters’ work has been noted in Best American Essays, Best American Short Stories and Pushcart Prize anthologies. In 2003, the American Academy of Arts and Letters presented him its Award for Literature.
“Post: A Fable” (ISBN 978-1-886157-75-0) is 275 pages, and the retail price is $16.95. BkMk Press books are available through Baker & Taylor, Ingram Book Company, SPD and directly through BkMk Press. For more information, contact Ben Furnish, managing editor of BkMk Press, at furnishb@umkc.edu or (816) 235-2558.
About BkMk Press:
Founded in 1971, BkMk Press has been a part of UMKC since 1983. BkMk concentrates on publishing collections of poetry, short fiction and creative essays. Publishing roughly six titles a year, BkMk Press has more than 125 titles in print. BkMk Press established the G.S. Sharat Chandra Prize in 2002 to honor the memory of Chandra, a writer and longtime faculty member at UMKC. Financial assistance for BkMk Press is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, by UMKC, and by private donations.
About the University of Missouri-Kansas City:
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.